After a successful debut for this new product, it was back to the shop to make more before I ran out. 16 started … 15 made it to the finish line. One had a facial blowout along the way, so that one found its way to the recycling barrel.

These slicers are between 6″ and 7″ wide, and all are 11″ long. They’ve got non-skid rubber feet, and are now Mrs M approved.

She chose one of these (it’s in the first picture) to go into her personal collection. She doesn’t do that often, so I’ll take that sign of approval when I can!

If you’re in the mood for some expertly sliced cheese, you’ll find these at the Simi Valley Street Fair this Saturday. You’ll find me in booths 1901 and 1902.

The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.

First, a note about my long absence from writing these Chronicles.

I’ve been busy. I’ve been behind.

Way, Way Behind.

Way.

I have resolved to catch up, though, and one way to not get farther behind is to not let more events pile up in my “I have to write about this” pile.

This is my 5th time doing the KHTS Home & Garden Show … and it’s their 10th Annual show. It’s my home town. It’s a radio-sponsored event. It’s also city-sponsored; their Arbor Day celebration is a big part of this event which takes place in Santa Clarita’s Central Park … Soccer Fields # 7 & 8, if I remember correctly from my refereeing days.

You bet I’m there.

New Ideas

It just seems like a new idea … Mrs M joined me at the event! This is the first Mrs M event since December.

Observations

I was behind (remember?), so I was finishing product on Friday morning instead of setting up. It was a lovely day, this Friday. It got up to 85*. So, that’s when I finally got to do the setup. When it was the heat of the day.

And this is our largest setup: the Trimline 10×20 canopy + a 10×10 pop-up Undercover canopy. Yes, for the 3rd year we did a 10×30 at this hometown show, in an “L” shape. My solo setup was 4+ hours in the heat.

I did as much as I could stand, and then stopped. No awnings for this event. I just didn’t have it in me.

The event starts with the Arbor Day celebration, complete with free tree giveaway to several hundred people (no clue how many … but it was a lot of trees). Those seeking free stuff didn’t seem to be my customers, but there was lots of early traffic. Lots.

In spite of the seemingly good traffic … we were down to prior year. Down 13%, the tally showed. Maybe Sunday….

The headline of this event for me was legacy. I had 4 different people come to the booth, tell me that they came to the event just to order something from me, and then proceeded to do so. 4 special orders at one event, all caused by people knowing I would be there … that’s never happened before.

Legacy.

Sunday started slowly, as all Sundays seem to. A couple of the special orders happened, then a big board sold … but it seemed like we were going to be short again. Then a large special order came in right at closing, which was great.

Then a couple of vendors came over after closing and picked up smaller boards. That’s what did it.

Best. Santa. Clarita. Event. Ever.

By $4. We beat last year by $4.

The Food

Best Meal: Lunches at this event were from the food trucks that KHTS brings in, and they do well. There were 10 trucks, so there was lots of choices. Definitely recommended.

Honorable Mention: I had to go out early Sunday morning to buy groceries (!), so I stopped at Jimmy Dean’s for a breakfast burrito. Delish.

Worst Meal: We tried to go to Marston’s at 8p on Sunday … but they closed early due to lack of business (the manager said that!), so we ended up at Wolf Creek. I was very disappointed … the pasta I had was Oh So Bland. We may not be back … until the next Sunday 8p dinner. Options are limited at that time, we’ve found.

The Facts

Total miles driven: 18

Total sales: $2,690

# of people we met during the event from the producer: 3

Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: many

Saturday alarm: 4:45a

Sunday alarm: nope

# transactions: 49

# soap & lotion vendors: there were 5, which is too many for an event this size. One soaper came by & told Mrs M that Mrs M’s display last year is what inspired her to get serious about making soap!

It’s been almost a year since I made Large Serving Pieces, or LSPs. I sold out of them months ago, of course, but I never quite got around to making more.

The set-up to make these is unique, and the nibbling away at the underside of the board to make the cove cuts that I’m so happy with … well, it takes awhile. And, today, it’s probably the dirtiest job I do in the shop. I made 15 of these LSPs this time. It took most of a day to do the primary shaping, and I covered the shop in dust.

Detail of Large Serving Piece 18 – 05.

The cove cuts are done by taking the work piece across the blade at an oblique angle … and that launches the dust to the left of the blade before the dust collector has much of a chance to get it. Further, these are open-faced cuts, so the above-the-table dust collection that I’ve recently added is disconnected. This cut that can only be done with the blade fully exposed.

Dust flies. A lot of dust flies.

That’s just a hazard of what I do. While making the cove cuts, I used a very large pushing device to keep my hand away from the cutting edge. I wore hearing protection and eye protection … next time, I’ll add a dust mask, too.

Because, you see, there will be a next time. I really enjoy making these unique pieces – even though birthing that unique design creates a bit of disruption on the shop!

All LSPs come with non-skid rubber feet held on with stainless steel screws. They have a food-ready finish: mineral oil + board butter, which is made with locally harvested beeswax.

Like this:

Big cutting boards are a challenge … and the most satisfying when I reach the finish line.

Every cook needs a good cutting board, and these are the best. Here’s why:

End grain boards are like butcher’s blocks – a design that has been used for centuries. These boards are harder than edge grain boards (where you cut on the sides of the boards, actually scoring wood fibers). Here, you cut on the ends of the boards, with the grain pointing up.

End grain boards show less wear. And, when you oil these, they self heal. These boards look great sitting out on a counter.

Juice grooves are an option for these boards. It’s a philosophical question, really … so some have grooves, and some don’t. You’re an adult, you get to choose.

All boards have non-skid rubber feet, held on with stainless steel screws.

All boards have routed finger holds so they’re easy to pick up and move around.

The first board is one of my favorite “colorific” designs. I’ve now made this board twice, though each iteration had a different wood design. That’s normal for me: there are very few designs that I do repeatedly. Two designs here that I am repeating are the “Basic Cutting Board,” which is the simple Hard Maple/Black Walnut/Cherry design that there are 2 versions of, below. I try to always have that classic design on hand.

The other design that I’ve come to really like is is the third board, Cutting Board 19 – 303, which is Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Jatoba & Mesquite. I love the color blend on the edge, and the top notch work surface of Hard Maple in the center. Of course, I’m now out of Mesquite, so ….

Come see these and others this weekend in Santa Clarita! Mrs M and I will be at the KHTS Home & Garden Show in Central Park, Saturday & Sunday. We’re right by the free plant giveaway (yes, free) in the middle of the outdoor exhibits. It’s all a part of Santa Clarita’s official Arbor Day celebration. Come say hi!

Finally, these have sprung to life after I sat on the hardware for way, way too long.

Painful, it was.

These cheese slicers are each 7″ x 11″ x 7/8″. The slicer is a stainless steel wire that sits in the slot until it’s called upon to guillotine the cheese. In the first use of these, we found that they were interactive: perfect entertainment for a 7 year old boy.

Fun, it was.

This first run features 2 colors of handles: black and chrome. Each of the slicers has non-skid rubber feet held on with stainless steel screws, as does just about everything I make.

Want to see these live? You’ll have to be in Lake Havasu City, AZ this weekend for Winterfest. I know I’ll be there. Come join me!

I’ve seen that my sales grow when I offer an incredible variety of wood designs, shapes, sizes and approaches to the things I make. I know that some woodworkers that do what i do make the same thing over and over … and, simply, that’s not for me. I would find that boring … and I believe that my customers would, as well.

Variety it is.

Here are a collection of serving pieces and shaped boards. Some are for cutting, some aren’t … their new owners will get to choose what they use them for.

Hover your cursor over the photo while on your laptop and computer (or click on the image using any device), and you’ll see the file name. That tells you what I call the piece. You can call it anything you like.

I make small cutting boards. Some people use these just for cutting fruit. Or, maybe these boards end up as a dedicated garlic/onion board.

Maybe it’s as big a cutting board as you need.

All good! These may not be big enough to prepare a holiday meal for a large gathering, but they have proven to be one of my most enduring, popular products. Many people add one of these small boards as a 2nd board, a holiday gift … or even use them as I name the thinner version: a cheese board.

In my lexicon, a Cheese Boards is about 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″. A Small Board is thicker, and no larger than 12″ x 12″ x 1″.

The names, though, are really only important to me. These are small cutting boards. This post catches me up with all of this type of board made at the end of the year for holiday giving, Kickstarter supporters and more.

The first few pictures are of a new design of small board that I’m trying. Each is 11″ x 11″ x 7/8″, and have a juice groove for those that prefer that, even on these relatively small boards. Enjoy!

I started making trivets to protect tables & counters – and food! – soon after I got my CNC. They continue to be a top seller … even though they confuse many people who don’t understand what this odd looking thing is when they pick it up in my booth.

Maybe I’ll have more time for that soon!

Trivets are 8-1/2″ square, with heat vents in a diagonal pattern across the top and bottom of the trivet. Each trivet is 3/4″ thick, and they nearly always feature a fun color pattern of hardwoods. I do occasionally make trivets with just one species of wood, though I’ve found most people prefer the colorful versions.

Meanwhile, I am now making coasters with cork inserts to protect tables & desks from hot & cold drinks – and condensation.

Everyone knows what a coaster is, thank goodness!

These have always been colorful. I’m yet to try a single species of wood for a coaster. Hmmmm. Maybe next time.

I do a lot of wedding & anniversary gifts. Here you see several different styles … as well as a couple of other special orders thrown in.

I have a love/hate relationship with special orders, honestly. Keeping track of them, their individual deadlines & extra steps required for the personalization is another record keeping system that I have to maintain to stay on top of these orders. It’s a wonderful thing, truly – who wouldn’t want to be a part of a wedding as a gift supplier? Lots of love there, and that’s a good thing.

A very good thing.

Also shown are a sign for a restored car’s dash (the Beach Bug sign). It’s a carved sign with painted letters. Similar techniques were used with the making of the final piece, that shows the longitude & latitude for the happy couple’s meeting, engagement & wedding.